Middle to Recent Earth History
Sci 4.3
Mesozoic era 248-65 mya• Pangea breaks into Laurasia and Gondwanaland
Question 1
Drier climates• Favored reptiles
• Big dinosaurs by Jurassic
• Some may’ve been warm-blooded
Apatosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Question 2
• Some good mothers, some quite fast (40mph)
GallimimusMaiasuara
Modern reptiles different from dinosaurs
Question 3
1st mammals in Triassic Period• Warm-blooded, hair, produce milk for young
Eomaia scansoria
Question 4
1st birds in Jurassic• Evolved from small dinos
Archaeopteryx fossil
Question 5
Gymnosperms• Dominated most of Mesozoic
yew
pines
palms
1st Angiosperms in Cretaceous• Flowering plants• Seeds with hard coverings• Dominant plants today
Southern magnolia
Question 6
End of Mesozoic• 65 mya mass extinctions
• Huge meteor and/or volcanoes
Gravity map
K-T boundary 65 mya• Between Meso. And Ceno. eras
• High levels of iridium
Alternate theory
Question 7
Cenozoic era• 65 mya to today
• Mountain ranges formed:
Alps, Andes, Himalayas
Himalayas
Alps in Europe• African plate smashing into Eurasian plate
Med. Sea
African plate
• Andes• Longest mountain range in the world
Nazca plate S.A. plate
• Himalayas are highest in the world
• Indian plate smashing into Eurasian
Question 8
Mountains may have caused global cooling
• Earth has cooled for last 60 mil.
Question 9
Cenozoic dominated by mammals
• Many evolved into larger animals
Question 10
• Some evolved to live in the sea
Question 11
Continents isolated species• Marsupials dominate Australia
Lemurs only found in Madagascar
Question 12
Organize in order of appearance on earth
• Invertebrates
• Vertebrates (fish)
• Amphibians
(and insects)
• Reptiles
• Mammals
• Amphibians
(and insects)
• Vertebrates (fish)
• Mammals
• Reptiles
• Invertebrates• Birds• Flowering plants
Rockies
Himalayas
Andes
Alps
Appalachians